


Rumors

by melpomeni_mandy



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Angst and Feels, Canon Compliant, Confrontations, Gen, Implied Relationships, Rumors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 01:44:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12223212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melpomeni_mandy/pseuds/melpomeni_mandy
Summary: The first day of liberation for the city of Ala Mhigo and her people and the Warrior of Light finds herself in the middle of a contentious rumor.





	Rumors

**Author's Note:**

> Italicized text = events occurred in the past.

It was hot. Two bells past midday and Ahlis approached the end of the salt flats that met Loch Seld. She was gasping for breath, her chest heaving when she fell against a crumbling boulder near the water. The sight of clear, bright water as it glistened in the light was a harsh joke against her burning lungs; the loch was not fit for drinking as its salinity was far too high. And as much as she wished for a drink, her throat hurting as it constricted itself from her heavy breaths, it would not bring her relief, not after making herself dash down the high bank and away from the tents and masonry that comprised Porta Praetoria.

Ahlis shut her eyes and the skin of her cheeks felt tight, the now-dried streaks of earlier tears prickled her face. She hated this feeling, despised it. Her hand went to her collar and her fingers nestled into the fabric there. She wanted to scream again but found herself lacking the voice to do so, even as her sordid thoughts drifted back to why she had thrown herself down there in the first place.

\---

_They remained there all night; or, well, as much of the night as she could remember at least, for when her eyes opened to see the next morning he was gone. Ahlis was comfortably warm under the woven blanket where she had slept against a gathering of pillows. The tent coverings were still down from the prior evening and not much light had made its way inside, the struggle of pushing herself up and out of the comforts of sleep all the more difficult as she somewhat wobbled to her feet._

_Ahlis couldn’t remember the last time she drank so much, let alone with other company. It wasn’t hangover inducing but the hour at which she finally surrendered to sleep must have been quite late; how else could she describe the ache in her limbs but from sleeping in so belatedly and for so long?_

_Regardless, it was time to face the world beyond the tent and to go back into the city. Ala Mhigo. Twelve above…she still couldn’t believe it, even now after the initial aftermath.  It was hard to deny that her heart still felt feather-light from it all, the same emotion that overcame her the night before that led to the drinking, the laughter…_

_That would be the first thing of the day: Ahlis would go and find him, and see if the arak knocked him flatter than he dared let on the night before. The thought of it was more than enough to make her smile despite the shock of sun that hit her face as she left the tent, her arms stretched high above her head._

_It was late; it must have been past mid morning when she emerged to greet the bustling sounds of the outside encampment. Porta Praetoria was still a den of activity following the successful assault upon Ala Mhigo’s fortified walls. Groups of men and women, from grand companies and temple knights, sellswords and adventures all flowed back and forth from the city to the fortress to exchange information and supplies. It was a comforting sound; it reminded her of Revenant’s Toll a little and the months she spent there, toiling with her fellow Scions. Although it still remained as their base of operations there was now little reason for her to return there; Ala Mhigo—and most of all Lyse—deserved her undivided attention._

_Ahlis considered her options as she moved through the camp towards the tiered stairs leading into the fortress proper; she was certain he would be preparing to leave the region fairly soon, now that the fighting was over. A contingency of knights would most likely remain and once that was squared away…_

_“Ye hear ‘bout the Warrior of Light? Says she’s Ala Mhigan like us,” said a voice of a woman from somewhere else, the words coming to Ahlis’s attention as she walked. She slowed, unable to help herself from taking a moment to listen further._

_“Aye, that’s the word of it. So what? Kinda glad about it, really,” said the voice of another woman._

_Ahlis peered closer as she found herself slipping into that of an eavesdropper. She could feel her heart begin to quicken, anticipating what may come next. But what was there to worry of? Many people spoke of her: praised her, gushed about her and cursed her. What did the words of a few resistance fighters matter to the voices of numerous other Eorzeans?_

_“Ye may not be so glad about it now since she be tumblin’ with an Ishgardian, no less! Ye brother’s mood’ll be soured at that news, I’ll say.”_

_“My brother fancies any pretty lass that come around, the git, but you’ve been eatin’ the damn lotus seeds again with that tripe. I say it’s not true unless you saw it yourself!”_

_“I says it is true, heard it from some of the lads working the overnight watch in camp,” there was amusement in the woman’s voice now, quieter now that they had gotten into the thick of their gossip, “tha’ commander in blue followed into ‘er tent  an’ never came back out.”_

_Footfalls coming their way halted their hushed voices and guffaws and the two women went rigid at the sight. Ahlis, possessed by the emotion their words elicited from them, had come out of lurking and into their presence fully. In the light of the clear morning her expression and eyes looked like steel and her tousled hair shone with a reddish fire, brushing against her cheek in the gentle arid wind. The woman—the one whom Ahlis hear speak first—looked like she had seen a ghost or a spirit within her midst._

_“Who told you this?” Ahlis spoke with a heavy intent at the two resistance members, both of which still remained silent. “Give me their names, now.”_

_“It just be rumors, ma’am. All hearsay!”_

_Ahlis narrowed her eyes a touch as she stared upon the woman, displeased with her reply. They knew who she was; there wasn’t a damned person in Gyr Abania who didn’t. But they did not yield what she wanted when it mattered to her very reputation?_

_“Give me the names; I will speak to them myself.”_

_The tone in her voice dared them to question her request, and yet they fidgeted still. Damn them; they probably knew exactly who spoke of her. They were friends, maybe relatives, and the two women dared not rat them out. Ahlis sighed, knowing this very stalwart behavior was Ala Mhigan, through and through, and nothing besides an outright threat would pry the information she sought. With a final glare the Warrior of Light left their company and ruthlessly pursued her path in finding the very Ishgardian they implied during their spate of gossip: Aymeric._

\---

Lyse had listened carefully to the same accounts twice in a row: two resistance group leaders were each arguing their stories in an effort to convince her of their points. While both ideas had their own merits it was all about time, not to mention where to allocate resources and men. To reestablish the trade routes to the city out of the Lochs, to focus on the rebuilding and removal of Garlean elements in the city proper…all of it needed to be done, on that point Lyse could not disagree, but how to decide on priorities?

She never would be one to say it, but it was this aspect of her role that she loathed the most. It had to be her responsibility; her decisions were paramount in these dealings, but Twelve above how she missed just punching the ever-living nonsense out of things.

“Lyse, there you are.”

The woman perked up at the voice and looked over to see none other than Alphinaud approach her. This was unusual as she believed him to still be at the Reach with Alisaie. Her confusion must have been apparent on her face considering he held up his hand in greeting; it had been a little while since they last spoke.

“I’ve returned for the moment, considering I might be more of use here than over at Rhalgr’s Reach. I bring news from Porta Praetoria.”

Lyse was ready with a friendly jab for Alphinaud about leaving his sister’s side, no doubt being run out of the infirmary by Alisaie to rid herself of his ‘coddling’, but word from the encampment grabbed her attention entirely, especially considering his expression. Something about it made her fill with slight unease.

“What’s the news, then?”

“Ahlis cannot be found anywhere in the fortress nor the surrounding encampment. There are accounts of others seeing her leave on foot—running, in fact—and not much else besides.”

The sudden disappearance of the Warrior of Light, a mere day after the liberation, was something Lyse hadn’t a clue on how to understand. Something must have happened…or, maybe she wished to be alone, the events and stress leading up to their arrival to Ala Mhigo…it all may have been the catalyst for the need to take a kind of sabbatical. In the days before that moment, and assuredly in the future, Lyse knew that feeling quite well.

“What about linkpearl?”

“No response. It’s quite possible she did not consider bringing it with her. I’ve already received permission to look for volunteers from some of the grand company men from Porta Praetoria to comprise a search team; they need only the word to begin. I take it you or any of your men haven’t seen her in the area as well?”

“No, I haven’t,” Lyse began and she looked to the two men she had been discussing with moments before. They offered nothing, although that didn’t surprise her in the least. Nobody was Ahlis’s keeper after all; she moved about as she pleased and saw fit. But, the description of her departure from Porta Praetoria, that she had been running…

Lyse sighed and shook her head.

“ _Look_ , we may be…blowing this all out of proportion. While I think your concern is warranted I also don’t want to create a kind of alarum to say she could be missing.”

“So what do you propose then?”

Alphinaud did have a point, Lyse had to admit. She put her hand to her chin to think and lowered her gaze in thought. What could she do to assure him that this could all be just a misunderstanding?

“I’ll look for her.” Lyse looked back to Alphinaud and nodded, her decision made.

“You’ll look for her, on your own? She could be anywhere in the Lochs, granted she’s even still in the region. ”

Alphinaud couldn’t help but look rather incredulously at Lyse; how would she do it? Given she had her own responsibilities with the resistance? And more importantly, he wanted to help as well. Lyse knew that look on his face all-too well and that he didn’t agree to just being sidelined again. Well, it’s not like she could say no to the fellow, being such good friends as they were. Lyse put her hands to her hips, her mouth set into a determined smile.

“Alright, this is what we’ll do…”

\---

_The numerous tents erected for the forces from Ishgard were still present in the encampment when she arrived and it provided her with a small measure of relief; it was quite possible he and what retinue that would go with him hadn’t departed yet. Although the fortress itself provided considerable space to house the men and women from all city-states the sheer number of their armies could not all be contained within it; thus did the outside encampment of Porta Praetoria grow to house a number of rest areas as well as triage for the wounded._

_The Temple Knights were present en force as she approached their own center of command, the tent entrance drawn wide open to allow free passage to those who came and went. Two guards were stationed to each side and they regarded her with quick nods, not impeding her way as she stepped inside and into the shade of the draped textile and canvas that served to keep the elements and the sun at bay._

_The first person she saw was Lucia, standing before the Lord Commander as he sat across from her. She was no doubt giving him her latest report from the city, of something or another; Ahlis hadn’t caught any details as she had entered rather tactlessly, not even bothering to take a moment before doing so. Now the eyes of both of them were upon her she suddenly felt much smaller upon realizing her faux pas._

_It was so easy to feel the fool in that moment, but her emotions from earlier squashed what nervousness she could have felt and sequestered it. It was Aymeric who spoke first._

_“Good morning, my friend. Is aught amiss?”_

_Her eyes flit towards Lucia, then return to look upon him as he sat at his impromptu desk, a map and other miscellany already covering it. Aymeric looked right at home amongst such things despite only being in Gyr Abania for no more than a week’s time._

_“I wish to speak with you,” Ahlis said carefully, and then she spoke again in a more confident tone, “if you have a moment to spare.”_

_There was a shift in his gaze at that moment, a brief narrowing of the eyes as if he sensed Ahlis’s disquiet, before he turned his attention entirely back to the first commander._

_“Lucia. Pray see to the last arrangements for the remaining regiment in the city. Report to me once business is concluded with the Resistance.”_

_“At once my lord.”_

_With a final salute and a turn on her heel, Lucia departed the command tent to return to her duties without another word. Now that they were more or less alone, Aymeric once again focused on Ahlis, allowing for a more concerned expression to cross his face. He leaned forward in his seat, all of his attention upon her._

_“Speak, my friend. What ails you?”_

_It was difficult to remain angry as she stood there with him, the worry within his eyes not failing to soften the ire she had felt before down below in the encampment. Nevertheless, Ahlis would think herself an even bigger fool if she did not seek the words she very much wished to know._

_“When did you leave my tent last night?”_

_The question was unexpected as she could see the soft change in the way he regarded her._

_“I do not recall. The hour was late, you had fallen asleep.”_

_“Was it in the early morning, then?”_

_The questions were further devolving down a path Aymeric did not understand. Why was she doing this? Then it dawned on him. Rising from his seat he made his way around the war table closer to her, his eyes not leaving her as Ahlis watched him approach. The way he regarded her did not change; in fact his eyes softened even more, as if trying to comprehend the core of what brought her here to him in the first place._

_“Did my leaving upset you?”_

_“No, and that’s not the point,” Ahlis responded coldly, and the sting of regret hit her. With a sigh she closed her eyes and turned away slightly, reaching up to try and straighten her hair in an attempt to settle herself, its uncombed texture catching on her fingers._

_“There are things being said about me between the others in-camp, and while I’m not a stranger to other people’s opinions, I hate rumors…especially of this kind.”_

_At that, Aymeric’s brow narrowed a touch. There it was; the reason behind Ahlis’s mood and behavior. It didn’t take much else for him to draw his own conclusions._

_“Rumors, you say? Of us staying the night together, I take it.”_

_Ahlis could feel the way her face started to prickle that she must have begun to blush; it only agitated her further that she couldn’t hide even this much from him._

_“What else. It’s embarrassing…”_

_Aymeric had to admit he hadn’t heard of any such hearsay from anyone and that her arrival was the first he’d learn of it. If he wanted to be truthful on the matter such things hardly fazed him. After all he was an Ishgardian and for a man such he social and political matters could be rife with such annoyances._

_“There is little we can do about it, I’m afraid. Try not to take it to heart.”_

_What a simple, practical reply; a response that Ahlis found entirely disagreeable. She let go of her hair and gave a sour, scathing look upon the commander._

_“Do not try to patronize me over this, Aymeric.”_

_“That was not my intention.”_

_“Of course it doesn’t bother you,” Ahlis ignored him, feeling her ire rising again with each word and step she took to pace the area in the tent. Her thoughts were following all sorts of paths, her desire to place the blame on someone for fueling her anger. “It’s different for a man to be accused of such things; hah, he would be lauded for taking the chance of spending an evening of debauchery after a day of victory, is that not so? Even if it is with some ‘savage woman’, aye?”_

_Aymeric could see where this was going, he had fallen right into it despite the difficulty in seeing how this could have possibly been his fault. But he knew, somewhere in Ahlis’s diatribe, no matter how unlike her to react this way, was the guilt he was so familiar with._

_“Ahlis—“_

_“No! You don’t get a say in this. You don’t get to tell me how to feel when I have to face an entirely different level of scrutiny than you do!”_

_She could feel it now, from her yelling and how she moved in her pacing in front of him, all of it fueled her indignation against everything that was wrong thrown against her. What should have been a pleasant, joyful evening between the two of them had been contorted into something vile, something that would be used against her as judgment, and it made Ahlis sick to her stomach._

_“They’ll be calling me the whore of Ishgard before long! And you_ don’t care _!” Ahlis stalked over to Aymeric, arms raised as her hands were clenched into fists. If she had only been woken before he left, to go back to a room inside the fortress, would it all have mattered then? Ahlis didn’t know, between her tears she now felt in her eyes and the yelling, she just didn’t know._

_He grabbed her wrists to halt her from bringing her hands upon him and it wasn’t more than a moment later that one of the guards had entered the tent to see if all was well, only to witness the scene before him._

_Everything after that moment happened so quickly. The knight intervened and took hold of Ahlis, ripping her out of Aymeric’s grasp to pull her away from the Lord Commander. There was a command to release her, the other acting guard entered then as well to assist with the commotion. The knight’s hold on her slackened and in a flash Ahlis had slipped away from the men in the tent and bolted, then it was nothing but running._

\---

“Well, look who it is!”

Ahlis awoke suddenly at the sound of Lyse above her, a quirky grin on her face as she rested her hands on her hips. What…was going on?

“Ahlis, you disappoint me. You know better than to fall asleep out here in the open, and in the sun no less.” Lyse sighed, as if agitated at her for bothering to take even the smallest of naps.

Realization came back to Ahlis and she couldn’t help but groan at her friend. She wasn’t in the mood for this sort of nonsense.

“I picked a shady spot,” Ahlis began, but decided against trying to explain her need to take a brief resting stint in the Lochs on her own. What did it matter that she rested under the overhang of a rock face? “The real question is how the hells are you out here as well?”

Lyse shrugged at that and opted instead to take a seat beside her, a move which made Ahlis immediately slide away. Whatever it was what Lyse was trying to offer in the form of friendship, comfort or camaraderie she didn’t want it.

“Touchy today, are we? All right,” Lyse didn’t move from where she plopped down and instead stayed quiet a moment, the silence settling between the two women. When it came time to speak again however it was Lyse who did it. “You know you spooked a few people by running off like that.”

Ahlis wasn’t shocked by that revelation, knowing she left in a bout of carelessness and to top it off by not saying anything to anyone. The only one who saw her last had been, well…

“Alphinaud hatched up a search party and everything,” Lyse said, bemusement in her voice. “Can never be too careful I suppose!” At that she looked over to Ahlis who kept her eyes forward, her long hair masking part of her face. “He, like the rest of us, cares about you. You know you don’t have to run from us…right?”

After everything that had happened so far it seemed far-fetched that the greatest force behind the Scions, the Warrior of Light—their friend—would shun them. The idea did not sit well with Lyse in the least; she trusted Ahlis implicitly. They had experienced so much together, walked through the hell and the fires of war…Lyse couldn’t believe that such trials would not bring them closer than anything else before then.

“I wasn’t running,” Ahlis began but stopped, knowing any sort of explanation would’ve sounded trite and contradictory. She didn’t know how to put it together in a way that didn’t sound downright stupid. “I think I ruined everything.”

“I know that feeling pretty well I think!” Lyse said as she gently nudged Ahlis with an elbow. Ahlis looked back to her with a withering glare. “I’m serious! Trust me, and you look like you _really_ want to talk about it.”

“No, I really don’t.”

“Try me.”

“ _No_.” Ahlis said with finality, picking herself up from her seat against the rock.

“I suppose that’s it, then.” Lyse said with a sigh in her voice, dusting off her shorts. Ahlis didn’t know what she meant by it—until she saw the woman come at her with an open palm thrust to her chest.

Ahlis managed to block the sudden attack—barely—and found herself tripping as she collided backwards into the shallows of the lake. When she regained her footing her eyes held an incredulous look as she stared at Lyse who moseyed on over to the shore, a smug twist to her lips.

“If talking about it won’t help maybe a good ole’ fashioned spar might do the trick?”

“Lyse! Are you out of your mind?” Ahlis spat back. That hadn’t been fair; she really could’ve gotten hurt. Lyse didn’t appear to care though as she slowly approached.

“What’s that? Is the Warrior of Light afraid of a little dirt and bruising?” The smirk never left her face as she brought up her fists again, seemingly determined to get a fight out of her.

She was being goaded into this wasn’t she? It was the Lyse way of doing things, of punching it out and releasing steam, tension, whatever emotions lurked in their hearts to the point where it burst. Ahlis took a breath and resigned herself, deciding to entertain her friend’s method for the moment; she focused her aether, readying herself. In that brief moment before they engaged she recalled that entire morning where her feelings roiled back and forth between rage, disappointment, shame, and heartache.

Lyse charged her, just as she had done on the precipice of Rhalgr’s outstretched hand all the way back at the Reach, and Ahlis met her straight on.

\---

The sun had shifted in the sky by the time the pair had tired themselves, their bodies splayed out into the salty silt of the loch. Ahlis’s entire being ached in the familiar way of a fight well-fought. She turned her head to look over to where Lyse had taken to the ground as well, arms and legs stretched out as if any moment she would make an angel in the mud.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Ahlis asked from where she lay. Lyse couldn’t help but giggle.

“Sure did. And from the sounds of it you did too.”

“You’re making it sound like it was something else we enjoyed.”

“That’s not so bad!”

“Ugh, spare me.”

Lyse laughed again and pushed herself up, turning towards Ahlis and taking a better seat to look at her. Ahlis would’ve done the same perhaps, had she not grown comfortable lying where she was.

“Let’s go back to Porta Praetoria,” Lyse said finally, honesty in her voice. “I know you won’t tell me all what happened, but if—whatever or whoever it is—is still there, you have a chance to do something about it.”

“Lyse. I don’t know…I really got into it with Ser Aymeric and two of the guards _saw_ it.”

“You mean like a fight? Like, did you actually hit him?”

“No—that doesn’t matter! They’re going to believe I mean to harm him regardless.”

 “I’ll go with you, as back up.”

Ahlis gave Lyse a look that begged her to elaborate.

“To vouch for you, obviously…and for damage control, if you need it.”

Ahlis closed her eyes, wondering if the moment came where she had reconciled enough to face her wrongs. It almost didn’t matter if she was ready or not; he wouldn’t be there forever and time waited for no one. She took another minute to consider it, and then she looked over to Lyse once more.

“…Okay.”

“That’s the spirit! C’mon!”

Lyse hopped up and reached down to take hold of Ahlis by the hand, hoisting her up to her feet. The world swayed a little and she put a hand to her temple, the rush of blood to her head a little too fast for her liking.

“Mayhap I hit you too hard this time around,” Lyse said in a manner that was all-too typical of her. Ahlis allowed a small touch of a smile to cross her face before patting what she could of the dust and dirt from her clothing.

“You also did a number on my dress.”

“Oh. Well…you take IOUs by chance?”

“For you, I might…” 


End file.
